coincidence
by scooter1
Summary: Just a short vignette about the finding of the Key.


The usual disclaimers. The story is mine. The characters are not. Some restrictions may apply.  
***   
The characters belong to Top cow and TNT as do all their toys, accessories and appliances, including the Witchblade. But I own the Key! *Go me! (*Cassandra Claire speak)   
  
  
*warnings, apologies and excuses*   
***  
  
Swearing   
  
*words typed within asterisks signify thoughts*  
  
Just a short vignette about the finding of the key. It's one of the many back stories to 'Tenebrous'. I wrote it as an explanation to a reference in chapter six, 'the dreaded Nancy Drew', great aunt of Mary Sue. It's a pre-quel, so to speak, just a short (sorta) explanation. This is non-Beta'd so I apologise for any mistakes.  
  
  
coincidence  
*********************************************************  
  
  
*Okay, that's it!* Gabriel Bowman thought as he stopped dead in his tracks. *I've simply GOT to find out what Mr. schizophrenia's deal is.* Every single time Gabriel came down Mercer St., he would see the old man presumably pretending to be different people.  
  
The first time Gabriel had noticed him, he had been in a business suit waiting at a bus stop. The man was staring directly at Gabriel. It was one of those expressions that reminded him of the look his mother had given him when he'd let his hair grow long. *Well, you're one to talk,* he thought to himself, wondering how the man's long hair flew with his office buddies.  
  
The second time was when he had been heading back home from Sara's. It was in the wee hours of morning and he was preparing for the tongue lashing, he was no doubt in for, from his girlfriend. Mr. businessman was dressed as a garbage collector. The man paused from his task to glance over at Gabriel before returning to emptying a can into the truck. *Guess the hair didn't fly at the office,* Gabriel surmised.  
  
The third time, the man was dressed as a window washer, washing the windows of a second hand shop that Gabriel actually avoided because he didn't like the man who ran it. The proprietor knew who Gabriel was and what he did for a living. He would always try to charge him ridiculous prices for mundane things, thinking that Gabriel knew something about the item that the owner didn't.  
  
Gabriel's keen eyes began to seek out the 'multiple identity man' every time he came down Mercer. He'd wonder what kind of costume the man would be in each time and was always surprised by the man's inventiveness. Once, he could have sworn he was dressed as a pregnant woman. The street had been crowded though, and he'd only caught a glimpse.   
  
The young Entrepreneur had given up on the idea that the man couldn't hold a job and had decided he was simply nuts. This didn't bother Gabe, as New York was loaded with crazies. What bothered Gabriel was the fact that the man always stared at him and seemingly no one else.  
  
He was now wearing some preppy shirt tucked into a pair of sanzabelt slacks. Gabriel followed the guy into the loathed second hand store. When Gabriel stepped inside he saw the old man staring into a display case of nasty jewelry and buttons before vanishing around the corner to the main room.   
  
When Gabriel rounded the corner he stood in shock and confusion. The place was empty save for the owner of the store...who was wearing a preppy shirt and sanzabelt slacks. "What the hell?" Gabriel barked at the man. "Is this some fucked up game of yours?" he demanded of the shop keeper as he looked for exits the old man may have taken.  
  
Though the owner of the second hand store had sensed that gabriel was not fond of him, he'd never been verbally attacked by the young man before. He paled at Gabriel's unusual display of anger, wondering what he could have possibly done to provoke him so. He hadn't even seen him in months.  
  
Gabriel, seeing the proprietor's confusion, calmed down. "Have you seen the old man?" he asked, remembering his manners and trying to figure out what was going on, maybe he was the one who was crazy.   
  
It had occurred to him that he had started seeing the old man shortly after Sara had transformed the Tome with the Witchblade. Maybe the Tome gave off some kind of radiation that was giving him hallucinations.  
  
As Gabriel stared back at the shopkeeper all of these thoughts ran through his mind, each one registering a different emotion on his expressive face.  
  
The alarmed shopkeeper was still trying to figure out why Gabriel was asking about an old man, when he'd noticed Gabriel's sudden change in mood. The young man's face had went from angry to apologetic to thoughtful then suddenly switched to anxiety and dread.  
  
Confused and disturbed by Gabriel's strange behavior the man wanted nothing more than to flee from the young man. Perhaps the guy had finally snapped. He'd always sensed Gabriel's anger simmering beneath his calm demeanor when haggling with him. When a young sales girl entered from the door behind him he grabbed the opportunity. "Um, I gotta go. Sally, can you help this young man?" Without waiting for Sally's reply, he darted out the door.  
  
"What can I do for you, sir?" Sally asked Gabriel.  
  
While Gabriel realized that the shopkeeper probably thought him mad, judging by his reaction to his outburst and odd question, he tried at least to save face with the salesgirl. "Ah, yeah, I wanted to look at some buttons," he muttered, pointing to the display case near the front of the store. It was the only thing he could think of.  
  
"Okay," Sally replied, grabbing a keyring from behind a counter and heading towards the display. He decided to just buy a damn button and get the hell out of there. He really wasn't used to making such a spectacle of himself. He could feel his cheeks start to burn.  
  
As Sally opened the case, however, something else caught Gabriel's eye that shocked him. One of the 'buttons' had the same design as the lock on the tome. Inwardly he was screaming in delight but he tried to school his features. "Um, how much for that one? He pointed to a random button. He was so used to the owner trying to screw him over that he automatically began playing the feint game of purchase. The girl raised an eyebrow over the fact that he would be concerned over the price of a second hand button. "One dollar, the more elaborate ones are two," She replied.   
  
In a way Gabriel was glad he'd freaked out the owner. He was sure the proprietor would have demanded fifty dollars or more if he had been making the sale. "Hmm, can I get that one, then?" He pointed at what, he was almost positive, was the Key.  
  
"Sure," the girl replied, "In fact, I'll just give it to you. Buy yourself some lunch instead," she suggested while pressing the object into his hand. "I don't think that thing is really a button anyway, the attachment is wrong."  
  
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, he accepted the small object and thanked her. As he left the shop he was amazed and elated that such an embarrassing incident had turned out to be such a godsend, even though he was confused over the lunch comment.  
  
  
  
the end  
  
************************************************ 


End file.
